Closure for flexible pocket receptacles



April 18, 1944. w. R. BUXTON CLOSURE FOR FLEXIBLE POCKET RECEPTACLES Filed Dec. 22, 1941.-

INVENioR MmvfRRBl/xra BVM6 Patented Apr. 18, 1944 CLOSURE FOR FLEXIBLE POCKET RECEPTACLES Warner R. Buxton, deceased, late of Longmeadow,

Mass., by Mabel Allen Buxton, executrix, Longmeadow, Mass., assignor to Buxton, Incorporated, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 22, 1941, Serial N0. 423,993

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved fastener for flexible pocket receptacles, such as leather tobacco pouches and various types of leather pocket cases.

One object is to provide a fastener which may be built up of leather or similarly flexible material and which will secure the closure against unintentional opening,

A further object is to provide a fastener, the parts of which are substantially integral with the receptacle as contrasted with fasteners which are secured to the receptacle by rivets or similar means.

A further object is to provide a fastener which, while providing suflicient security, may be more easily released than the various types of snap or slide fasteners commonly used for the purpose.

Other and further objects will be made apparent in the following specification and drawing.

In the acompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a tobacco pouch provided with a closure according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the strap member of the fastener substantially online 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the tongue member of the fastener;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing the manner in which the fastener is released;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified form; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the strap member of the modified structure of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing, the receptacle, generally indicated at I0, comprises a front wall II and rear wall I2, suitably connected together as by a gusset piece I3, and provided with a closure flap I4. The pouch lining has been omitted from the drawing for the sake of clearness. but it will be understood that a lining of suitable material will be provided when the use to which the receptacle is to be put requires a lining.

The closure flap is provided with a tongue extension I5 to which is secured a piece I6. The piece I6 comprises two portions, one portion I l conforming to the shape of the extending tongue portion I5 of the flap, to which it is cemented or otherwise secured to form therewith the tongue element of the fastener generally indicated for convenience of reference at I8. The piece I6 is lil preferably stitched, as at I9, along the edge of the flap I4 and the portion 20 of piece I6 above the stitching I9 is left free to form means for assisting in the release of the fastener as later described. The tip of the tongue piece II is thickened as at 2|, this thickened portion together with the underlying portion I5 being rounded by skiving or the like toward the sides and bottom of the tongue element as indicated at 22. The upper edge of portion 2| is formed with a straight vertical shoulder 23.

The tongue element I8 is adapted when the flap I4 is in closed position to be inserted in a channel formed between a strap member 25 and the underlying portion of the adjacent wall II. The ends of the strap are inserted through slits 26 formed in the wall member II, the end portions being secured to the rear face of `ivall II at 2l in any suitable manner. The central portion 28 of the strap member is arched above the outer face of the wall II from the slits 26, as best shown in Fig. 3. The central portion 28 of the strap is thickened on its inner face from the upper edge downwardly to form a vertical shoulder 29 about midway of the tongue receiving channel. This thickened portion is rounded so as to taper toward the sides and top as indicated at 30. The side portions 3| of the channel and the slits 26, together with the attachment of the ends of the straps outwardly of the slits provide a slight looseness to the connection of the strap to the receptacle wall.

In operation the tongue I8 is forced beneath the strap 25, the rounded thickened portions 2I and 30 of the tongue and strap respectively passing over each other until the vertical faces 23 and 29 engage as shown in Fig. 2. The flexibility of the unthickened portions of the tongue and channel, aided by the looseness of the connection of the strap to the receptacle permit suillcient distortion of the unthickened parts to permit passage of the tongue into the channel to effect locking engagement of the shoulders 23 and 29. As shown in Fig. 3, the shoulders 23 and 29 engage only at the center, leaving spaces 32 at the sides for distortion of the sides 3| of the channel.

To release the fastener the thumb is inserted wedge fashion, as shown in Fig. 5 between the rounded portion 22 of the tongue and the flexible lower portion of the strap 25. The facility with which the desired distortion of the parts is accomplished is increased by inclining the slits 26 outwardly toward the bottom as is shown in Fig. 1. The form of the construction described and flexibility of the parts enables the thumb,

with relatively slight pressure, to disengage the shoulders as shown in Fig. 5, permitting the tongue to be withdrawn by means of the free portion 20, the pushing action of the thumb on the rounded portion 22 of the tongue aiding in the withdrawal.

In Figs. 6 and 'I is shown an alternative form of the invention, primed reference characters being employed to designate the modified parts. The strap member 25' is of uniform thickness and a tapered thickened portion 30' is built in the portion of wall I I which forms part of the channel beneath the strap, said thickened portion forming a shoulder 29'. The tongue I8' is constructed similarly to that previously described except that the tapered thickened portion 2| is formed on the under face of the tongue to provide the shoulder 23 which engages beneath the shoulder 29 as shown in Fig. 6 to secure the closure. The fastener of Figs. 6 and 'l is released by a manipulation similar to that previously described, that is by wedging the tip of the thumb into the space 35 (Fig. 6) to distort the parts to release the engagement of shoulders 23-29.

The fastener of this invention has the appearance of the usual tongue and strap fastener but provides security against accidental or unintentional withdrawal of the tongue, even when the receptacle is full and the tongue is under tension. The fastener can be released only by an intentional manipulation of the parts such as above described. The fact that the fastener can be, and preferably is, formed entirely of leather or the usual substitutes therefor, makes it possible to construct the fastener as part of the operation of constructing the receptacle itself without dependence upon an outside supplier of metal parts and without the necessity of carrying an inventory of metal elements to safeguard manufacture and delivery of advance orders. The Word leather is here used as inclusive of synthetic leathers, leather substitutes, and the various equivalent materials, alone or in combination, commonly employed by the trade in making flexible pocket receptacles, and it will be understood that the invention is applicable to receptacles made of other materials having an equivalent flexibility and capacity for distortion.

What is claimed is:

1. In a flexible pocket receptacle made of flexible material and including a closure flap, a fastener therefor comprising a pliable tongue carried by the flap, a pliable strap member carried by one wall of the receptacle and forming, with the underlying portion of said Wall, a channel for the reception of the tongue, said tongue and channel being respectively provided with rigidly thickened portions forming interengaging shoulders, the combined thickness of said thickened portions being greater than the corresponding dimension of the undistorted opening of the channel, the unthickened pliable parts of the tongue and channel being sufilcientlyexible to permit distortion of said parts to allow said thickened portions to pass over each other, to and from shoulder engaging position.

2. In a flexible pocket receptacle made of flexible material and including a closure flap, a pliable tongue and strap fastener constructed integrally with the receptacle, the end portion of the tongue having a rigidly thickened portion forming a shoulder, one wall of the channel formed between the strap and the adjacent wall of the receptacle having a rigidly thickened portion forming a shoulder engageable by the shoulder on the tongue to secure the closure flap, the unthickened pliable portions of the tongue and strap being distortable to permit the thickened portion of the tongue to pass over the thickened portion on the channel wall, to and from shoulder engaging position.

3. In a flexible pocket receptacle made of flexible material and including a closure flap, a pliable tongue and strap fastener constructed integrally with the receptacle, the tongue having a rigidly thickened portion forming a shoulder, and the strap having a rigidly thickened portion on its underside forming a shoulder engageable with the shoulder on the tongue to secure the closure flap, the unthickened pliable portions of the tongue and strap being distortable to permit the engagement and disengagement of said shoulders.

4. In a flexible pocket receptacle made of flexible material and including a closure flap, a pliable tongue and strap fastener constructed integrally with the receptacle, the tongue having a rigidly thickened portion forming a shoulder, and the wall of the receptacle beneath the strap having a rigidly thickened portion forming a shoulder engageable with the shoulder on the tongue to secure the closure flap, the unthickened pliable portions of the tongue and the strap being distortable to permit the engagement and disengagement of said shoulders.

5. In a flexible pocket receptacle made of flexible material and including a closure flap, a. pliable tongue carried by the flap, a pliable strap member carried by one wall of the receptacle and forming, with the underlying portion of said wall, a channel for the reception of said tongue, said tongue and channel each including stiff and pliably flexible portions, the stiff portions forming interengageable elements, the pliably flexible portions being distortable to permit engagement and disengagement of said interengaging elements, to respectively secure and release the closure ap.

6. In a receptacle closure including a closure flap, a pliably flexible tongue extending from the flap, a pliably flexible strap member carried by one wall of the receptacle and forming, with the underlying portion of said wall, a channel for the reception of said tongue, said tongue and channel each including rigidly stiflened portions forming interengageable elements, the pliant flexibility of the unstiiened portions of the channel and tongue alone being distortable to permit engagement and disengagement of said rigid elements, to respectively secure and release the closure flap.

MABEL ALLEN BUXTON, Emecutrm under the Will of Warner R. Buxton,

Deceased. 

